The Wizard Slayer
by Bonnie Charlie
Summary: An American youth becomes the ultimate Dark Wizard hunter. but can he hunt down the most dangerous of Dark Wizards? HBP spoilers are contained in chapters 2 through 4
1. The Sword

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. In fact, Taylor Ross is the only thing in this story that was not influenced by anyone. except maybe, myself and my sensei.

1. The Sword

On my eleventh birthday, I got a letter from someone called "The Secretary of Magic". Basically, it said that I was chosen to go to a special school for people with talents like mine. At first, I had no clue what it meant. Then, I figured it must mean my skill with the martial arts, more specifically my sword. I had won countless tournaments with it, and my master had let me use real swords. My parents were overjoyed to hear that I had been accepted at a very large, prestigious school, and immediately set about buying all of my equipment. Surprisingly, the letter said all I needed was my swords. I could bring clothes and a few personal items with me if I wanted, so I stuffed a few books in my bag, a few pictures, and my black belt.

* * *

I boarded the plane, and sat next to a fellow student. The boy sat with an air of extreme self-importance. He sat straight, and I could tell that he had been brought up in a very wealthy area. After a while we started talking.

"Hi, my name is Rudy A. Blackthorn, Jr. I'm going to be a wizard!" the kid next to me said. He sounded very posh, and for some reason, I felt like hitting him. It passed, however.

"My name is Taylor Ross. I guess I'm going to be a wizard too, but I don't know why I need to bring my swords." I said, genuinely wondering why he had a wand while I had been instructed to bring swords.

"Oh, if you were told to bring swords, you're going to be a Wizard Slayer. Totally different." He said, with the same air of confidence.

"Well, doesn't that mean I'll have to kill wizards? And how do you know, anyways?" I said, disappointed and a little disgruntled.

"No, it means you're going to hunt down the bad wizards. You see, wizards are totally defenseless when they cast spells, and they need someone to protect them. So, the Wizard Slayer takes advantage of the time needed to cast a spell, and kills the bad guy. They also protect the good wizards. And I know because my dad teaches the Wizard Slayers. But only certain people get to be Wizard Slayers. See, some people have what's called "resistance", and they can shrug off spells like a piece of paper was thrown at them." James said, confidently.

I could see that he really knew what he was talking about, so I listened to him, and asked him all the questions I could think of. By the time we got to the airport, we had become good friends, and we agreed that we'd stay in touch. I then left for Wizard Slayer School.

* * *

The first three years were really hard. It reminded me of the rumors I had heard about boot camp at the Marines. We ran drills, did push ups, and woke up real early. Also, the teachers would constantly test our resistances. At first, they would line us up and shoot small charms, jinxes, and hexes at us. As they weeded out the weaker ones, they would randomly shoot more powerful spells at us. After several years of this, there were only ten of us left, when there had originally been hundreds of us. Then, they tried the Imperius Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses. It was less painful then the Cruciatus, and much less dangerous than the _Adava Kedavra_. Only two of us succeeded and one of us with much difficulty. I, on the other hand, felt nothing as the spell washed over me. I had proven my strength, and went on to the next level.

The next level, as it turned out, was actually much easier. We would spar each other, or wizards, or one of the many creatures a wizard might summon or control. After these sparring matches, we would spend hours learning about the many spells a wizard could use in combat. For a long time, this is what we would do day after day. Then, the day came when we would graduate.

* * *

"Every Wizard Slayer gets this sword," the main instructor said, holding an enchanted sword up, "It's standard issue. They all have the same abilities, and come in many different shapes, so you will be able to choose your own type. You will also be required to forge a soul item. It is the light equivalent of a Horcrux. You will not be able to fully die until your soul item is destroyed. You may also choose to give it as many abilities as you wish. Good luck on your journeys, for you are now full fledged Wizard Slayers."

With that, he stepped down. I looked at my calloused hands, and thought about the seven years I had spent training. I stepped up to the arms distributor, and choose a katana, the samurai's main battle sword. Then, I spoke to Mr. Blackthorn, James' dad. He agreed to help me forge my soul item, which I had decided would be a wakizashi, or short sword. He also said that Rudy would help. For some reason, I knew that he was entirely different from Rudy. He had an aura of humble power. I thanked him, and went to see the head of the school to receive my first assignment.

"Well Taylor, there's this British Dark Wizard that's been causing a lot of trouble for the past ten years, and the British Ministry wants some help taking care of him. His name's Voldemort, or something like that. After you forge your soul item, I want you to head to England and help any way you can. Good luck, Taylor. We're counting on you."

So that's exactly what I did. After creating my soul sword, which was an object of awesome power, I boarded a private plane to England. Rudy A. Blackthorn had also given me a necklace that he told me would come in handy when facing Voldemort. It was gold, and had a large silver 'S' on the back.

* * *

The flight was uneventful, but when I landed, I met up with the British equivalent of a Wizard Slayer. They were called Aurors, and they were good at their jobs, even though they themselves used magic. One of the Aurors was a short, gnarled man by the name of Alastor Moody. We became fast friends, because we were opposite of each other. He was old and experienced, and I was young and fresh out of school. We didn't know what to expect, but we agreed to face it together.

We did exactly that. The followers of Voldemort were called Death Eaters, so I gave them what they wanted. They ate the death that my blades carried. My soul sword increased my natural healing powers so much that it seemed that I was invincible. That is, when their spells actually managed to get past my incredible resistance, which was bolstered by my two swords. My swords both had magic abilities that aided the fight, like the power to stop time, raise any allies that fell from the dead, and imprison my enemies into a small globe hundreds of feet under the earth. We were getting close to Voldemort, and he knew it. That's when it happened.

One night, a year after my arrival, Voldemort found and killed a family that had resisted him one too many times. They were called the Potters. When Mad-Eye and I arrived to save them, however, it was over. Voldemort had stationed Death Eaters outside the house so that he would not be disturbed. By the time we had either killed or arrested the Death Eaters, James and Lily Potter were dead, and Voldemort was standing over a child, whom I later learned was named Harry. Voldemort raised his wand, and before I could use one of the remaining runes on my sword to protect the child, Voldemort sent the killing curse at the boy. But to my amazement, the child was barely harmed, and Voldemort was screaming in mortal pain. Voldemort dropped, and all that was left of him were his robes, still smoking.

All that the boy had to show of his survival was a lightning bolt scar. As he was rushed out the house by a giant of man named Hagrid, I stood and pointed my katana at the boy, attempting to get a reading on his magic resistance. My sword stayed blank, which could have meant two things. Either he had been protected by something else, which showed he had no natural resistance of his own, or his resistance was so high, that mine seemed like a fly compared to it. I prayed for a compromise.

* * *

Several years have passed since that day. I have been involved with many things, most of them involving Gringotts and their Curse Breakers. I have met very interesting people, such as a young man called Bill Weasley, Aurors that still persist in putting up the good fight such as a young woman that goes by the name of Nymphadora Tonks, and a good-natured werewolf named of Remus Lupin. I had not imagined for a moment though, that Lord Voldemort, or, as some people call him, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, would return. I had thought him entirely dead, I had seen him disappear from the house, leaving only smoking robes. But one summer, he did return. I was twenty-nine years old, an experienced Dark Wizard hunter, and a battle-scarred veteran of countless campaigns. That day, I set out on my quest to find the Boy Who Lived. I set out to find Harry Potter. 


	2. The Ally

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. I barely own Taylor Ross. Leave me alone

2. The Ally

After the break-in at the Ministry, everyone knew that Voldemort had come back. I had had an earlier warning, because of my proximity of Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, and Bill Weasley. I had not only been searching for Harry Potter, but I had been exterminating Death Eaters where I could find them. I was becoming a vigilante, even though it was technically part of my first assignment as a Wizard Slayer. I had secret tools that none of the British had. A knife that drained the life from victims, shuriken or throwing stars that silenced the people they hit, and an amulet that pointed me towards the most evil of people. These had served me well in the six years after the Potter's untimely death, and the disappearance of Voldemort. And I realized that they would continue to aid me in my fight against these new Death Eaters.

The Order of the Phoenix welcomed me with wide arms, for many reasons, one of them the fact that I kept a certain thief, Mundungus Fletcher, on his toes. I was assured that at one point I would be able to meet Harry Potter, and that time could not come soon enough for me. I met the rest of the Weasley Family, other Aurors, and had the brief fortune of meeting Sirius Black, whom I had connected with immediately. When he died, I was furious, and immediately went in search of his killers.

I knew that his killer had been Bellatrix Lestrange, the cousin of Sirius Black. I searched high and low for her, getting information from both the Ministry and Fletcher's comrades. Finally, after almost a year of searching I found her hiding in a safe house. And unfortunately for her, the secret keeper owed me a favor.

I entered the house quietly. I wore black, and a mask that some people would call a ninja mask. My only weapons were my soul sword, my knife and my shuriken. I encountered a few Death Eaters in the halls, wandering around. I silenced them permanently, and continued on. At last, I found Bellatrix.

"So, someone has ordered my death, have they? And they sent a muggle ninja to do it. How quaint." Bellatrix said as I walked into the lighted room. I straightened, and drew my soul sword.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, you are charged with the murder of Sirius Black, the assault of Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom-" I started, holding my short sword in my left hand, while drawing a star with my right.

"I did my time for the Longbottoms." She interrupted.

"Very well. But you have also used the Unforgivable Curses, and, as I have just said, they are unforgivable. For that, you must die." And with that, I threw the star, switched my sword to my right sword, drew the small knife with my left, and charged. The small star was deflected by a spell, and was followed by another spell, aimed at me. I raised my sword, and deflected the spell. We were apparently evenly matched

"_Adava Kedavra_!" Lestrange shrieked, and the spell washed over me. I spun my sword once, to attract her attention, and plunged my knife into her black, withered heart.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, you have paid for your crimes with your death. Rest in peace, and may you be sent to Hell." I said as I withdrew my knife from her chest.

I finally got the chance to meet Harry Potter at Bill Weasley's wedding. It was not as happy as it could have been, because just weeks prior, Albus Dumbledore, Harry's friend, protector, and the Headmaster of Hogwarts, had died at the hands of a supposed ally. I added another name to my ever-growing list of known Death Eaters, as I presented a wolfish Bill with a marvelous set of black lacquered samurai swords. As I told him the enchantments surrounding them, my eyes were attracted to his new wife talking to a trio of students. I knew one of them to be Ron Weasley, Bill's youngest brother. There was a girl next to him, and beside her, a young boy with thick glasses, jet black hair, and a strange scar. As Bill told me how he had become so wolfish, I watched as Fleur, Bill's wife gave Harry a hug as she sobbed, and I swear I heard her tell him to be careful.

After I said goodbye to Bill, I went over to Harry.

"Harry Potter? My name is Taylor Ross. I would like to tell you that even though I only knew your godfather for a short time, I could tell he was a great man. He has been avenged." I said, shaking his hand. At these words, Harry's eyes widened and filled with tears. He blinked them away, and thanked me heartily. I nodded, and took the soul sword that was always at my side out of my sash. I kneeled to Harry, and offered him my sword

"Harry Potter. I am sworn to protect you, even if that means giving my life to you. This I pledge as the only Wizard Slayer in England, and I swear it as a Samurai."

Harry stood shocked, not knowing what to do. The girl nudged him and told him to accept. He blankly did so, and I stood up and replaced my sword. The girl introduced herself as Hermione Granger, and Ron shook my hand, already knowing who I was. After all the introductions were made, I pulled Harry off to one side, and told him my story.

I showed him all of my tools, and finally shoved a small ring into his hand. He put it on, and I told him that while he wore it, we would be linked. We would know where the other was, if the other was in danger, and most importantly, we would have access to the other person's abilities. He did not know it, but he would also gain my health, my near-immortal status, my experience, and most importantly, my magic resistance. He would be impervious to any magic spell sent at him, and he would simply think it was him. And that's the way I would prefer it was.

Currently, I am in search of Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. I have found and destroyed the cup of Hufflepuff, and I am on the trail of Ravenclaw's ring. A reliable source told me that a woman by the name of Narcissa Malfoy had it in her possession, and I gladly followed the trail. I was eager to meet the woman whose husband had caused so much suffering, and Harry was equally eager to find Draco Malfoy, the son of Narcissa, whom Harry blamed for the death of Albus Dumbledore. So we set out in search of vengeance and an item of power.

When we arrived at the Malfoy's Mansion, I sent an owl to the other members of the Order, telling them where we were. When the owl was sufficiently away, I drew a small bracelet from a pouch that stayed at my hip, and handed it to Harry. I told him that it would act as an invisibility cloak, and he looked at it. I wrapped my face in the black silk that formed my "ninja" mask, and dropped my long sword into the pouch. Harry stared at it, and I told him that the pouch's contents were in a special plane of existence. He shrugged, and we went forth.

We immediately ran into resistance. The Death Eaters ignored Harry, and sent spell after spell in my direction. I tapped a rune on my short sword, and time literally stopped. I was the only one unaffected. I moved leisurely, taking off my mask, and looking into my pouch for my long sword. Then, I walked about cutting the wizards' and witches' wands into small pieces. When I was done with that, I tapped the same rune again, and time resumed. I stood, grinning at the spell casters, as they blankly stared back. Then, with lightning speed, I leapt forward, and slashed at two wizards. They dropped, and another witch dropped with similar slashes on her chest, face, arms, and legs. I glanced at Harry, and decided it was his work, and not another Slayer come to help, even though I would have gladly welcomed such aid.

After the Death Eaters were either dead or unconscious, Mad-Eye Moody came with a group of Aurors to collect the scum. He glanced at Harry, who still wore the bracelet. He grunted good luck to us, and we continued inside, accompanied by a pair of Aurors I had never seen. Alastor assured me they were good, but I glanced them over, and saw fear in their hairless faces. I shook my head, and gave them both amulets that would give them a small measure of resistance to magic.

We found the Malfoys in their sitting room, also accompanied by a pair of wizards. As the Aurors squared off against their counterparts, Harry and I squared off against our quarry.

"Well, Taylor, long time no see." Narcissa said, sneering.

"I thought you had died, you old snake. Oh well, too much ask for I suppose. Guess I get the pleasure of acting as your Reaper." I retorted, drawing both my swords. Narcissa and I circled each other, looking for an opening. I knew that she was no match for me, but there were certain habit that I had yet to get rid of. Harry and Malfoy did the same, already casting spells at each other. Narcissa seemed quite occupied with their battle, so I obliged her. Contrary to the clichéd idea of putting yourself between your opponent and your charge, I maneuvered her closer to the battle, so that instead of having a clear shot over my shoulder at Harry, she would have to turn around in order to cast a spell. She did not seem to realize this, and began to turn. I tapped another rune on my sword, and a ghastly green finger leapt from my blade. It struck Narcissa square in the back, and she screamed in pain. I charged, and she twisted around to face me. But instead of mortal dread on her face, a grin was placed there. I stopped short, truly surprised, and my surprise was increased tenfold when she screamed "_Crucio_!", and I doubled over in pain, dropping my swords. She walked towards me, and stopped inches from my head.

"Now, now, Taylor. You can't possibly expect me to not hit you? Ah, but you put too much faith in your natural resistance. Don't you see? I set a trap. The Death Eaters outside blasted you with spells that lowered your resistance to a level that I would be able to hurt you at. What do you say to that?" she said, laughing.

I stood, and stared at her. Then, simply, I smiled. Narcissa's smile was wiped from her face, replaced with a look of wonder. Then, my knife, the life-stealing blade, plunged into her belly, and she dropped.

"I say die, Narcissa, die." And she did just that.

"No! Mother, no!" screamed Draco. Momentarily distracted, he turned to see Harry Potter staring at him, pointing his wand at him.

"Good-night Malfoy." He said, and then screamed "_Petrificus Totalus!_"

Draco Malfoy dropped to the floor, rigid. I walked over to one of the Aurors, and ended his fight against the Death Eater with a slash across the Dark Wizard's throat. I turned to see that the other Auror had just dropped his opponent with a particularly powerful curse. I then walked over to Harry, who stood next to Draco's body.

"What should we do with him, Taylor?" Harry asked, looking up at me. I was being forced to play the judge. The two Aurors nodded at me, which I took to mean _whatever, it's your job, and we're just here to make sure you do it._

"He's your rival, Harry. Do what you want to him. Just-" I paused, hoping against hope that he would listen. "Just do the right thing."

Harry stood over Draco for a few more moments, and leaned down. He stood up again, with the Malfoy boy's wand in his hand. He gave the wand to me, and I promptly snapped the wand into two pieces, then four, then eight, and finally into sixteen, using my knee when necessary, and finally my razor sharp soul sword.

"He can't do any harm without it, and death's too good for him. I say we imprison him." He said quietly. An Auror spoke up, and asked,

"Wot, you mean like Azkaban?"

"No, I mean the Imprison spell, the one that will keep him under the earth in a glob of glass." Harry said, still quiet. He looked up to me, and I nodded. I knew that what he was talking about was an incredibly difficult spell, and not fit for wizards like the ones around me. I drew my soul sword one more time, and pointed at the boy.

"Before we imprison him, let's give him the freedom of movement back." I said, looking at an Auror. He obliged with the counter jinx, and stepped back as Draco roared back to life.

"You filthy Mudblood! The Dark Lord will kill you! You're dead, you're all dead!"

"Malfoy, for the last time, shut up." Harry said, and I tapped the rune needed for eternal imprisonment.

As the Aurors cleaned up, I drew my long sword and gouged out a large X over the spot Draco had been laying.

"Why are you doing that?" Harry asked me.

"Well, there are ways of freeing an imprisoned soul. And I think I'm the only person in this country that knows of it. But, just in case…" I left off, and fished a piece of paper out of my pouch. I put it over the X, and the X disappeared. In its place was a large obsidian pillar.

"Obsidian is often connected with death, Harry. As such, I use these like my mark, to show where I have defeated a particularly difficult foe. But in fact, obsidian also has specific magic powers, like the power to see into alternate planes. The young muggle Arthur used a seeing stone of obsidian to see the future, when he would become king. That stone was given to him by Merlin." I told Harry on our way out. He absorbed all this like a sponge, and then he asked me a startling question.

"Isn't the pillar like the Dark Mark, then? Showing where you've been, who you've killed?"

"What! Well- No, I- But- Ah, it's not like that at all! Don't you get it? Obsidian has the power to see, and I use pillars of obsidian. I haven't killed my foes at all, just imprisoned them. If you look closely into those pillars, you'll see my enemies, trapped under the earth!" I shouted, scaring a pair of passing wizards.

"Oh." Harry said simply. I stared at him for a moment, and gave up, shaking my head. I met with Moody for a while, and told him what had happened. When I told him about the trap, he laughed and said, "Got you there, didn't they?" He quieted down after a while, but still occasionally chuckled at the though of the 'mighty Wizard Slayer' doubled over in excruciating pain. I walked away from him, and returned to Harry, who was fiddling with a Galleon. I stopped as he set a date, a time, and a place on the coin, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Ready, Harry?" I asked, "We still have to get your school stuff. And yes, you are going to school, I don't give a damn about who's Headmaster or Headmistress, or Head Idiot. If they have a problem with me, they have a problem with the American Government, and a mental problem of their own. Now, let's get you back to the Dursley's, they'll want to see you, and I want to meet them," I said, with a glint in my eye. For once, after everything we had been through and done, Harry finally looked happy. When I asked him why he was happy, he simply responded that the Dursleys would like me for sure. For some reason, I seriously doubted that.

A/N: Review, please, or so help me lads and lassies...


	3. The Calm

3. The Calm

As we walked back to the Dursley's, I was lost in thought about what Harry had told me about Slytherin's

necklace. Suddenly, I stopped, and hit my forehead. I was standing in the driveway of Privet Drive number four,

and Harry was already at the door.

"Of course! R.A.B! Rudy A. Blackthorn! I had the fifth Horcrux with me all the time!" I yelled, scaring Harry,

and causing a rather large, mustachioed face to look out of the window at me. Whoever it was, his eyes

widened at the sight of me, and hastily disappeared. I ignored the face, and fished about inside my pouch. As I

retrieved the locket, the door opened to reveal a huge, corpulent man that reminded me of an obese walrus.

"Hello, uncle Vernon. This is Taylor Ross. He's my bodyguard."

* * *

"So, you kill…_them_…for a living, then?" Vernon said, leaning towards me with an evil glint in his eye. 

"I help hunt down Dark Wizards, and bring them to justice. And, no, Harry is not one such criminal. He actually

just helped me to defeat a very powerful witch, and is currently helping to fight an even more powerful lich." I

said, leaning back with a flask of my own malt scotch.

"What's a lich?" asked Harry and Dudley, Vernon's portly son, asked at the same time. They immediately

glared at each other. I smiled and told them.

"A lich is a powerful undead creature. They refuse to die, and so they are forced to create phylacteries, or

Horcruxes. These items of power contain their soul, and without them, the lich can be killed. However, liches

usually have incredible power, and have lots of time on their hands, and are therefore incredibly difficult to

defeat. Fortunately for us, Voldemort has not been a lich for very long, so he couldn't have found more

powerful ways of hurting people. He's stuck at his current level, for the time being. Now, Dursley, I'm going to

say this once and only once. You try to mistreat Harry while I'm here, and you will wish YOU were a lich.

Harry, if I could speak to you?"

I pulled Harry off to one side, and said, "Now, Harry, I know about the Galleon. What is it?"

He pulled it out, and told me about his fifth year, when he had been forced to teach himself and other students

spells to defend themselves against the Dark Arts. I nodded, and told him to set the next meeting for tomorrow,

in the Leaky Cauldron. He nodded his head, and did so. Then, I gave him Slytherin's Locket.

"Harry, when I left the states, a wizard by the name of Rudy A. Blackthorn gave me this necklace, and told me

it would help in the fight against Voldemort. I've forgotten all about it for the past several years. After this is

destroyed, all we have to worry about is the snake!" I said in an excited tone. "Now, I just have to take care of

some business, so you have to go to Diagon Alley and then the Burrowon your own. Ok?"

He nodded, and after making sure the ring was securely on his finger, I left to visit some old friends of mine.

* * *

When I arrivedback at the Burrow, I was greeted by the entire Weasley family, several members of the Order, 

Hermione Granger, and Harry. After exchanging knowing looks with Moody, Tonks, Lupin, and Bill, I

accompanied the group to the Hogwarts Express. We got on, we being the children, myself, and Bill. Ron and

Ginny were confused as too why Bill was accompanying us, but they were glad that their eldest brother was

coming.

The only event on the trip was when a seventh year Slytherin student, an ugly female by the name of Pansy

Parkinson, came by the compartment with two equally, if not worse looking males by the names of Crabbe and

Goyle. They burst in, and began shouting that we had killed the Malfoys, and that we were going to get our

dues. I snarled at them, and they ran, screaming. I sat back down with Bill, who had also gotten up, and started

laughing with everyone else. Finally, we arrived.

When we arrived, Bill departed from our group, and we made our way to the carriages. The threstals were

there waiting, and I gave one of them a friendly pat before entering the coach. We arrived at the school with no

problem, and I walked up to the staff table to see who was there. The Headmaster's chair was occupied by a

pinch-faced witch with glasses that was named Minerva McGonagall. Bill sat next to a fat man by the name of

Slughorn, who sat next to a small teacher named Flitwick. Hagrid was there as well, and we waved at each

other. There was one person I recognized immediately. His name was Rudy A. Blackthorn jr. We stared at

each other for a moment, then exchanged greetings and stories for the rest of dinner.

* * *

After dinner, the Headmistress stood up and introduced both Bill and Rudy. She explained that Slughorn would 

become the new Head of Slytherin, and Bill would become the Gryffindor Head. She also explained that Bill

would be teaching Defense Against the Dark arts, and Rudy would be the new Transfiguration teacher. When

this was said, Ginny and Ron stood up and yelled with excitement. When they settled down, though, the

students left for their dormitories. I stayed back and swapped more stories with Rudy and Bill, each of us trying

to get the best of each other. Just as I was getting into a particularly gruesome part of my story, Professor

McGonagall asked to see me in her office. I obliged.

* * *

"Mr. Ross, I hope you know why I have called you here?" the woman in front of me asked. She had decorated 

the room withobjects I could only assume were former classroom things.

"No ma'am, I'm not sure. Could you please tell me?" I asked, sincerely. Obviously, she thought me, a thirty

year old man, was being snide, and let me hear it in her voice.

"Sir, I am giving you a room that will be your bedchambers. I hope that-"

I cut her off and told her, "I'll be sleeping in the Great Hall, and I'm going to place a fewrunes on the door,

and around it. There will be extra wards on the Gryffindor portrait, and I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to

stop me."

Instead of being angry, or afraid, she smiled and asked if I could give her some of my protection. I sat still for a

moment, and then told her that I would be honored.

* * *

When I told Harry all of this, he began to laugh. Ron piped up with the idea that McGonagall had the hots for 

me, and I drew back with a face of such fear that caused all the students I was sitting with to laugh even harder.

I shook myself free of them, and began my patrol of the school.

The first thing that I ran into was Peeves, the poltergeist. He came after me with a sack of chalk and a very thick

book. I stopped, and stared at him. I drew my sword, and he stopped looking at me as if I were a dangerous

obstacle. Then, he dropped the chalk and the book, and drew a sword from a wall hanging. We both placed the

hand we were not using behind our backs. I assumed a fencing stance, and I'm sure that if Peeves had feet, he

would have done the same.

We fought for what seemed like days, but in reality it was only a few seconds. Not long into the fight, students

gathered to watch, and this brought even the teachers to watch. Finally, after giving them all a good show, I

decided to end it. With a flourish, I disarmed the ghost, and thrust my sword into his ethereal neck. He dropped,

clutching the sword in false agony, and proceeded to have a long and dramatic death. The crowd cheered and

clapped while Peeves and I bowed. Then, the teachers sent their students scurrying off to class, while I shook

hands with the poltergeist, and retrieved my sword.

The next thing I ran afoul was the janitor, Filch. He seemed to be in a very foul mood, so I gave him right of

way. He snarled at me while I sneezed at his cat, which I'm deathly allergic to. This gave a few passing students

something to laugh at, until Filch chased them off. I walked off, and continued my search for nothing.

After several weeks of guarding a very depressed school, I got to accompany some students to Hogsmeade, the

small town nearby. I visited everywhere, and was given the grand tour of the place by Harry and his friends.

Then, Hermione whispered into Harry's ear and Harry immediately straightened up. The told me to put my

bracelet on, and to follow them. I did so, and followed them to the Three Broomsticks, a pub.

We were met by Ginny, who had been waiting. We all went into a room, and then they began to talk about what

they had learned over the summer. When the two Weasleys and Hermione found out that Harry had destroyed

several more horcruxes, they brightened up. I didn't unveil myself, because from the ring I still wore on my

finger, I could feel anticipation coming from Harry. When they all wrapped it up, Ron and Hermione left, while

Harry and Ginny stayed behind. They began to kiss as I stood there, and then they began to get very involved.

They got so involved, that I had to leave the room before anything started flying off.

I went down to the bar, and met the barmaid and landlady, Rosmerta. We talked for a while, until I began to

feel something coming through the ring. I realized what it was, and I was shocked that I could feel it. I tore the

ring off my hand with a gasp before I could feel anymore, and was relieved when it was off. Rosmerta asked me

about it, and I simply told her that she was going to be very angry when she went into room six. She simply

sighed, and we began talking again. When Harry and Ginny came downstairs, they both looked disheveled, and

I gave Rosemerta a sidelong glance before leaving with the two lovers. She called out to tell me I was welcome

anytime to come back and I told her that when I did, she had better be ready. She simply blushed and went

upstairs with a bundle of fresh sheets and a mop.

* * *

After the pub incident, I told Harry that the bond of our rings was growing stronger. I then told him that if there 

was a particularly powerful emotion in him, I would feel it. For awhile, he simply nodded, and then he realized

what it meant. He stared at me with such horror; you would have though I had burst in on them caught in the act.

He began to stammer out that he had tried to break up with her to protect her, until I stopped him. I simply

smiled and told him that black-mail was a powerful tool.

The rest of the semester was very uneventful, unless you mentioned my visits to the Three Broomsticks, which

got more and more exciting with each visit. I did make sure to take my ring off if something very exciting or

embarrassing was about to happen. Other than that, nothing extraordinary happened. Until one fateful day.


	4. The Storm

4. The Storm

Like most clichés, it was a dark, stormy night when it happened. I was wandering the halls, wondering why I

couldn't feel Harry's thoughts and feelingsthrough the ring. I was also occupied with plans for that night's travel

to the Three Broomsticks. I was in the Great Hall when the front doors burst open. A masked, robed man

stood there, as lightning struck behind him, illuminating his cohorts. Two dementors and an enormous troll stood

slightly behind him. I shook my head, and drew my blades, still thinking of a movie I had seen that reminded me

of this scene. I was lost in this thought as I walked towards them, until a thrown boulder crashed into me, flinging

me back into the staff table. I sat struggling under the boulder until the troll came and lifted the rock and threw it

away. He looked down at my broken body, gashed and crushed. Bones poked through muscle and skin, while

blood gushed from huge rips in my body. My katana was broken in two, but my wakizashi remained intact. The

troll was followed by the masked Death Eater, and he laughed when he saw me.

"Well well well. The mighty Wizard Slayer lies broken from a single thrown stone. I thought I would have a long,

drawn out battle against you, but I seem to have won already." A sneering voice said. Greasy black hair had

slipped from the hood, and hung in front of the mask.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Severus, but I guess the long, drawn out battle is going to occur anyways." I

said, picking my broken body up. And then, in front of the shocked duo, my bones slid back into place,

reformed, skin reknitted, and blood retreated back into my body. I rolled my head from side to side, popping

the cartilage, and drew my knife, holding that in my left hand while my right held the short blade that had healed

me. It was not the Horcrux part of it that healed me, butthe other power that magnified and accelerated my

natural healing powers.

The troll stared blankly at me, and its life was ended when I suddenly leaped up and drew my razor-sharp

blades across its throat. While landing, I aimed a kick at Snape's face, and connecting, shattering his mask and

nose. When the mask pieces fell, I saw the hooked nose gushing blood.

"Heh, does fighting give the baby nosebleeds? Do you need mommy Voledmort?" I said with a sneer in my

voice and a grin on my face, intentionally stressing the word 'Voldemort'. My remark hit its target, and Snape

flinched at the mention of the Dark Lord.

I plunged both my blades into Snape's open stomach, and gave them a twist. Snape's face widened in shock

then shrank in hate and agony. Before he died though, he gave a small laugh, and whispered something about

succeeding.

As Snape dropped to the floor, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny rushed around the corner with some of their friends.

I recognized Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom as members of Dumbledore's Army, and Bill followed

them closely. I noticed something shinyin Ginny'shand,and I mentally kicked myself incredibly hard.

"Taylor! The dementors, they have Harry! They have him, and they're bringing him to You-Know-Who!" Bill

shouted, still running. They all stopped when they saw the smashed table, the bloodstains on my clothes, the

dead troll, and the body of Snape, Dumbledore's killer. Ginny dropped onto her knees, and began to sob

uncontrollably. Neville and Luna leaned on each other as Hermione flung herself onto Ron. I realized that they

had just come to terms that Dumbledore had been killed, and because his killer was lying at my feet in a jumble,

Dumbledore would not come to take care of them. I shook my head, and went to find Rudy, and to contact the

rest of the Order.

* * *

Rudy, Bill, Mad-Eye, Tonks, Lupin and I left the next day. We were followed closely by Harry's friends. We 

had agreed to let them come, as long as they agreed to do anything we asked without question. None of us

knew it, but these were the same orders Dumbledore had given Harry when they had gone to retrieve the fake

Horcrux, the night Dumbledore had been killed. We agreed as a group that I had the responsibility of going into

all the buildings first. I had asked Rudy to send for a new katana, and I had received it within a few minutes, as

well as a set of armor that my sensei had sent. I had put the armor on reverently, and I could feel the powerful enchantments that had been placed on it.

We wandered about clueless and aimless for several hours. Finally we came upon a large black dog that scared

the bejeezus out of Ron, Lupin and Hermione. When I asked them why, theyquietly responded that they

thought they had seen a dementor. I looked at them, not truly believing them, but they weren't asked anymore

questions. The dog, however, helped enormously. Its sniffling nose found a trail almost immediately, and we

followed it to a house in the northern reaches of Scotland. It had taken us several months of hard traveling, but

for some reason the dog seemed as eager to find Harry as the rest of us.

When we arrived at the house, the dog dropped into the freshly-fallen snow. It was now well into December,

and close to Christmas. Three days away, truth be told. We set up camp in front of the house, surprised that

no-one came bursting out of the house to try to kill us, or something of that type. One event did happen

however. A very large snake got into my tent, and was reared to strike, when I flashed my sword, which slept

under my pillow. My off-hand strike cleanly severed the snakes head. The dog's head perked up, and Ginny

swore she heard a scream come from the house. I decided at that point, that since everyone was already

awake,

we would go see who owned the house.

"Knock, knock" I said, preparing everything.

* * *

We entered the old house, and we already regretted it. Hundreds of spells jumped at us, fired off by the Death 

Eaters waiting. As our own wizards fired off their own spells, I jumped forward, looking like an ancient Samurai

come to life. The dog leapt for wizardly throats, and tore out several of them. I felt like I knew the dog, likeI

had met him a few years before,and we went into the crowd of Dark Wizards with blades and fangs flashing.

When the battle ended, I picked myself up from the floor that I had dived onto to avoid a spell I knew would

get past my defenses. The wizard that sent that spell was hit by several other spells, launched by my allies. He

dropped onto the ground, looking like some type of slug, and I ended his misery with a downward thrust of my

sword. Then, I went directly to the dog, whoI had recognized helfway into the fight,and sheathed my swords.

"Hey, for a dead guy, you still fight pretty good, Black." I said as I kneeled next to him.

After everyone greeted Sirius back to life, we proceeded into the house. His story of escape from the

Reaperwould have to wait. We came to a large door, warped with age, but showing signs of recent use. I

stopped with my hand on the knob. I looked into the faces of my friends. Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna

stared ahead with grim determination. Ginny looked forward, but wearing a mask of anger and hate. Sirius wore

the same mask as Ginny, and they both locked eyes as if saying, _well, here's to Harry._ Mad-Eye, Bill, and

Rudy looked like this was what they did every day, which was mostly true. They were all veterans of this long

war, and they knew their places exactly. Lupin and Tonks were looking into each other's eyes longingly, and I

knew what they were thinking. I smiled at them all, lifter my short sword, and mouthed _one, two, _and shouted

THREE!

We burst into the room yelling our various battle cries. Dumbledore's and Harry's name was lost with the cry of

'Marauders!', which were all drowned out by my unintelligible shout. We all stopped as we saw a sight that

both frightened us and made us wet our collective pants with relief.

"Took you long enough, guys. I was wondering when you would be coming." Harry said as he sat in a very

large overstuffed chair. At his feet were smoldering robes. And a wand, broken into two.

* * *

We exchanged stories of our success. Harry had evidently stolen a belt from me, one that would temporarily 

give him the powers of a god. I looked at his waist, and saw Hades' Belt around his slim torso. I stood gaping,

then smiled and laughed. Harry told us how, when we had killed the snake, he had struck a final blow with a

sword of burning holiness. I grinned and told him the story of how I had gotten that belt, and then told him all of

its powers. Finally, when I finished, I gave it to him formerly.

Sirius hung back from all the merry making until Lupin and Tonks dragged him forward. Harry and him stared

each other for a moment, and all went silent. Then, they hugged each other fiercely, and the group burst into

more happiness. Ginny and Harry began to eat each others' lips, and Ron and Hermione followed suit. Neville

and Luna simply hugged each other, while Tonks and Lupin stood in a corner looking like a pair of virgin

teenagers eager to lose their innocence. Mad-Eye, Bill, Sirius, Rudy and I simply laughed, swapped more

stories, and had a few swigs of scotch, brandy, and whiskey, all corresponding to the person that had either

brought it or had made it appear magically. We joked about Moody drinking from his hip flask, until he pointed

out that we all drank from flasks. We settled down, and listened to Sirius tell the tale of his escape from the

beyondveil in the Depeartment of Mystery.

The couples stopped sucking face long enough to listen, and then resumed when the story was done.

We left the house awhile later, and went to the nearest airport we could find, because we were all too exhausted

to travel any other way. We all bought first-class tickets back to London, and rejoined a very happy wizarding

community. Bill went on his honeymoon with Fleur, Mad-Eye retired for a second time, Lupin and Tonks got

engaged, and Sirius was hailed as a misunderstood hero. The students finished school, and had a huge party

when Rosmerta and I announced our own engagement.

* * *

A year later, Rosmerta and I have just had our first child. Harry and Ginny are happily married, as are Ron and 

Hermione as well as Remus and Nymphadora, who still insists on being called Tonks, even though her surname

has changed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all Aurors, and are good ones at that. I have put down my swords,

and have replaced my soul sword with a more mundane one. The soul sword lies hidden,in a locationonly one

person knows. And I'm not telling.

* * *

Epilogue

We are much happier than ever before. Rosmerta still runs the Three Broomsticks, and I collect a very large

pension from the United States Government. We live carefree now, as our children grow up at Hogwarts,

occasionally coming to visit their old parents in Hogsmeade. We have three. The youngest is Sarah, a witch that

takes after her mother. The middle child is a boy that shows a blend of both his parents, and excels at Potions

and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The eldest is Tom, a strapping young man that shows all of his dear old

father's characteristics, especially the resistance. However, he seems to be eager to learn. I would normally urge

such eagerness, but his eagerness borders a feral hunger. Ah well, maybe he'll be fine. Maybe it's just me.

* * *

A/N: Whee! Sorry about the first two chapters. This is the end of THIS story, but i may write a sequel. Who knows. Review!


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